A train struck a car left on railroad tracks in Brook Park on the night of Oct. 1. The next morning, police found a 40-year-old Madison man considered armed and dangerous and a 32-year-old Brooklyn woman at a Middleburg Heights hotel. The man was not in the car when the train hit it.
A Frantic Call Leads Police to a Hotel Room
According to Cleveland.com, a family member called police at about 10:15 a.m. Oct. 2. She said the man had left her car on the Brook Park tracks the previous night. A train struck it. She told officers he was staying at the Comfort Inn, 17550 Rosbough Drive, under her name. A check of his information showed multiple arrest warrants.
The woman answered the door and let officers into the room, where they found the man asleep on a bed. The report did not say how long he had been there or provide further details about the collision.
Medical Evaluation and a Trip to Southwest General
Once roused, the man told police he needed medical attention. Officers escorted him to the hotel lobby, where paramedics examined him before taking him to Southwest General Health Center on Bagley Road, the outlet reported. It's not clear from the available reporting what specific medical concern prompted the request.
While paramedics were with the man, dispatchers told officers that the woman was wanted in Parma. Middleburg Heights police handcuffed her.
Pregnancy Disclosure and a Meth Pipe
The woman told officers she was 31 weeks pregnant. Police removed the handcuffs and had her sit on the bed. Officers found a pipe in her pocket; she said she used it to smoke methamphetamine, according to the report.
Parma police declined to pick her up on the outstanding matter, so Middleburg Heights officers advised her to turn herself in rather than arresting her. She was cited for illegal use of drug paraphernalia. Hotel management then gave her 30 minutes to pack and leave, the report said.
Earlier Middleburg Heights police-blotter reports have also described arrests involving warrants and drug paraphernalia. A September item described an arrest warrant and a drug-paraphernalia possession case on Bagley Road. An April item reported that a wanted Strongsville man and a wanted Brook Park woman were arrested together on similar paraphernalia allegations. Local reporting has not said what happened to the people involved in the Oct. 2 incident after they left the hotel.
Other local train-track collisions
Other Cleveland-area reports describe distinct incidents in which trains struck vehicles left on tracks. In Avon Lake, Cleveland.com, citing the police blotter, reported that a train hit an unoccupied car on Oct. 19. Police located the driver shortly afterward and arrested the driver for drunk driving and failure to control; no one was injured. In a separate Olmsted Township incident, Cleveland.com, citing the police blotter, reported that a train struck a vehicle stuck on the tracks on Dec. 2. The driver had gotten out before the collision and was not injured.
